Burning
by rosa lunae
Summary: OneShot. Rated for serious burns Usagi's burns from the SuperS movie appear again and are torturing her, and there seems to be no way to save her. Can Mamoru make it happen?


Well, this always bothered me about the SuperS movie... where do Sailor Moon's traumatic burns go? Well, I guess you could say that receiving the power of all the Senshi could have healed her, but for the purposes of my story, no. I will show how I think it should have been. And because bad stuff happens to Sailor Moon in my stories is not because I don't like her. It's because she's my favorite character (and I own no characters btw) and I want her to get all the attention. HEE! It starts right at that touching little scene on the beach- bye, bye Peruru!  
  
-Moon Pie  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Burning  
  
Sailor Moon sighed softly as Peruru disappeared into the sky. Under her hands, Chibi Moon was shaking just a little, trying to hold in her tears. When the child turned around, she smiled bravely.  
  
"Well, shall we go?"  
  
Sailor Moon smiled, placing a hand on her future daughter's cheek. Chibi Moon closed her eyes blissfully at the affectionate contact of her future mother.  
  
"Yes. We shall."  
  
They turned to face the Senshi, lined up on the dunes, smiling down at them. Sailor Moon gave them a wink as they climbed up to meet them. They grinned back. When they were all together, Sailor Moon suggested they teleport back to Mamoru to check on him. All were concerned about the Prince, so they agreed. They all joined hands, and teleported back to them. Sailor Moon was still soft and serene with the powers the other Senshi had given her. They hadn't quite worn off. So, she decided to use this vast amount of leftover power to take the brunt of the teleport as the Senshi had already used enough energy.  
  
When they arrived, some of the blissful power had been used up. Sailor Moon felt a little weak, but nothing incredibly noticeable. Her back began to itch, but she ignored it, focusing on Mamoru.  
  
Mamoru had felt it when the Senshi had won. He had felt Usagi fighting. He'd felt great pain inflicted upon his Princess and cursed his injuries. Then, like a cool, healing balm, he'd felt the powers of the others flow into her. And like it had healed her, it had healed him. At least, temporarily. He began unwrapping the bandages on his chest and shoulder. No wounds. He put his shirt back on, just a little sore.  
  
He sensed their return. He turned to see his Princess, his tiny daughter he'd been worried about, and the friends that never failed his family.  
  
He smiled. Sailor Moon stepped forward, walking towards him slowly. She looked at the bandages on the bed and the fresh shirt on his chest. She placed a hand his shoulder. She felt no wound. Still, she wanted to be completely rid of her worry for him. Sailor Moon took Mamoru into her arms, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Mamoru. Mamoru cupped his hands around her face and passionately returned it.  
  
As she kissed him, she poured her extra power into Mamoru, converting it to healing. All the leftover soreness in his back, chest, and shoulder, and any stray bruises disappeared. He smiled, pulling away for a moment, then even more passionately, kissed her again.  
  
It took a moment to hit Sailor Moon. Her back began to feel hot, but she didn't notice that. The itching began to get stronger. She paid it no attention. She and her true love were celebrating a safe victory.  
  
It wasn't until Mamoru wrapped his arms around her back to pull her close, that the pain came.  
  
Sailor Moon froze in Mamoru's arms as the burning returned. She saw herself in the Black Dream Hole. She saw the blazing fiery blasts burying themselves into her back. Again...and again. And again. She saw her own back before her eyes, charred black with the burns. She saw her fuku evaporating and scorched skin flaking off of her back. She felt the scorching burning return. She felt the fire, a hand with long fingernails so hot they were like ice. It grabbed at her back, dug its icy fingers into her flesh and ripped out a chunk of her body.  
  
All of Sailor Moon's strength left her and black mist clouded her eyes. She couldn't feel or hear or see or taste or breathe. But she could smell. She could smell her own burnt, smoking flesh. She couldn't hear Mamoru calling to her, gently urging her to breathe, desperation underneath his quiet begging. She couldn't see her daughter's tears or hear her anguished shrieks. She couldn't feel it when her Senshi took her from the only comfort she had-the feel of her future husband's arms- and laid her stomach- down on her bed. She couldn't feel or hear her own screams and tortured moans. Just when the black mist began to fade to whiteness, she felt.  
  
Sailor Moon felt Mamoru's mouth covering her own. She felt his breath. She remembered...she had to breathe. So she breathed. Her back rose up and down violently as she desperately grabbed at the air, gasping. She coughed, convulsing fiercely. She could feel her skin...tearing. Before she fell into the embrace of darkness, she heard Mamoru's voice. She was so deep into the darkness she couldn't feel the pain, even though she sensed it was there, but she could hear Mamoru's voice. She couldn't feel or hear her own screams and tortured moans, but she heard his voice, softly brushing her ear.  
  
"I'll take care of you, Usako. Just let go for a while and let me help you. You don't have to hold on anymore, Usako. I love you. Just let go."  
  
Sailor Moon smiled. She could not feel anymore. But she heard Mamoru give her permission. So, she let go and sighed into the cool embrace of darkness.  
  
**********  
  
Mamoru felt his Usako freeze in his arms. Her eyes were blank for a moment, like she was seeing a vision. Then, she arched her back and threw back her head and let out a piercing scream followed by low moans. Then, nothing. She went limp, and her breathing stopped.  
  
Mamoru's eyes widened, terrified and confused. Just as startled, the Senshi stared for a moment, then Uranus and Mars leapt forward to carefully grab Sailor Moon by her shoulders and legs and place her on Mamoru's bed, stomach down.  
  
Mercury ran forward as well. She paled at the sight of the massive burns on Sailor Moon's back.  
  
"Kami-sama! What happened in there!"  
  
In the center of her back was a black, charred spot. The skin was scorched and falling off in places. A white puffy area, filled with pus, surrounded the black. The last circle was an angry, swollen welt freckled with huge blisters.  
  
Venus tore her eyes away from the sight, breathing heavily with repulse. Jupiter absently laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Saturn buried her face into Neptune's abdomen, weeping. Uranus was stiff and straight, face pale with fear, then fiery with rage.  
  
"She's not breathing!" Mercury yelled.  
  
"The burns!" Pluto whispered, cradling a sobbing, frantic Chibi Moon tightly to her chest. "How can we do CPR on her?"  
  
Jupiter, furious with her terror, shoved Mercury out of the way. "Let me!" she yelled. She placed her two index fingers on Usagi's chest and gently shocked her.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Mamoru suddenly felt calm mask his heart-beating terror. He knew Usagi would only respond to him when she was this deep in darkness and pain. Just as he would only respond to Usagi when in her place. So, he closed his eyes, and gently kissed her, sending his own breath into her lungs, very, very gently.  
  
She responded by desperately gasping and coughing. He winced as her thrashing tore her back. But she was breathing. And with consciousness came pain. She began to moan pitifully, unconsciously suppressing the scream that tore at her larynx.  
  
Mamoru could feel a dull version of her pain. He felt her fear and pain and weakness. He sensed that she hung on to the painful reality of consciousness purposely, afraid that the darkness was eternal. Mamoru, through no knowledge of his own, knew deep down, that it wasn't. It was just a temporarily refuge for her. So he told her.  
  
"I'll take care of you, Usako. Just let go for a while and let me help you. You don't have to hold on anymore, Usako. I love you. Just let go," he murmured softly into her ear.  
  
And with a small tight smile, Sailor Moon went limp again, retreated to darkness. But her ravaged back still rose up and down.  
  
Mamoru sank into a chair, head in his hands. Fear and worry exhausted him. He turned to Senshi, his eyes full of tears.  
  
"What happened?!" He howled, anguished. "What happened to my Princess?!" Tears rolled down his face.  
  
Scrubbing away her tears, Neptune knelt beside his chair. She held the Aqua Mirror before him.  
  
"Watch," she whispered.  
  
And they saw Usagi, holding Chibi-Usa, "swimming" towards the flaming ball that was Badiyanu. They heard her cackle. They saw the angry column of fire flash at her. They watched with horror as Sailor Moon turned her own back to the blow, protecting Chibi-Usa from the flames. They heard her scream.  
  
Chibi-Usa flew into hysterics, terrified that Mamo-chan would be furious with her and certain that the whole thing was her fault. Mamoru compassionately gathered her into his arms, assuring her it was not her fault until she fell asleep. Pluto laid the girl in another room and asked Luna and Artemis, sick with fear, to watch over her. They complied numbly.  
  
"But why?!" Mamoru cried. "Why did they come back if they were gone!"  
  
"We gave her our power," Venus provided, almost inaudibly. "And she used it up in the teleport." She was unaware of the Princess's output of healing on the Prince.  
  
"And when the pure power of our planets wore off, the wounds returned," Neptune mumbled.  
  
"The Silver Crystal used to be known as the Stone of Illusions," Pluto said in sotto voce as she returned to the room. "So, when already filled with all the power of Usagi, it received our power and used the combined force created the powerful, physical illusion of healing. And it could only be an illusion. Because Serenity cannot- will not- use her power to heal her own body."  
  
Sailor Uranus sank to her knees by her princess's bedside and took her free hand. Mamoru took the other. Mars stood next to Uranus, stroking Usagi's hair, averting her own eyes from the burns. Neptune and Saturn were huddled together on the floor. Jupiter was comforting a terrified Mercury, who weakly stabbed at the keys on her computer. Venus simply stood off to the side staring blankly at the scene before her, unaware of Pluto's comforting embrace or the tears dripping off her chin. The Senshi detransformed one-by- one.  
  
"What can we do?" Haruka whispered, burying her face into the bed. "What can we do?"  
  
"No hospital," Ami muttered. "Usagi's identity would eventually be revealed and her life here, ruined."  
  
"Fire...the fire has harmed my princess!" Rei moaned. She was ignored.  
  
Michiru turned to Hotaru, raising her perfectly arched eyebrows in a silent question. Hotaru shook her head.  
  
"I have little power left right now. We gave it all to Usagi to defeat the Enemy."  
  
One-by-one, the Senshi's heads lowered as they each realized they were powerless.  
  
"Impossible..." Minako whispered, tortured.  
  
Mamoru stared ahead, racking his mind for an answer. ANY answer. He forced his eyes back towards his love and her damaged body. He remembered the feeling of her fear over their soul bond; it nauseated him. He remembered the look in her eyes as she relived everything. He briefly felt the almost eager willingness to suffer for Chibi-Usa. It was a familiar, parental feeling. His own back felt uncomfortably hot, but it did not pain him, though he wished it might.  
  
The Senshi were drained and helpless. Usagi couldn't heal herself. They could not take her to a hospital. And in moments, Usagi would be returned to the torturous pain.  
  
Mamoru clenched his fists in frustration. SURELY there was something to be done besides revealing Usagi's identity. Suddenly, he sat straight up, determination hardening his face.  
  
I MUST DO SOMETHING, he thought. He remembered when he had linked himself to Chibi-Usa to keep her alive. He also remembered his old power to heal wounds. Finally, he recalled the Golden Crystal deep within him; the power, dormant inside of him.  
  
Only Usagi could bring him out of darkness. She was his light. Only her voice and touch and the love look in her eyes could bring him hope. Only the soul bond to his princess gave him the strength to face each day. And love conquers all. Always.  
  
Mamoru set his jaw, his eyes shining with love. He had already begun to glow with golden light.  
  
Love can do the impossible. "I will make it possible."  
  
Mamoru spoke with all the determination and conviction he felt. He took Usagi's hand. His other hand hovered over Usagi's back. The Senshi watched with awe and hope.  
  
Mamoru called upon the Golden Crystal's power. He began to glow with a golden light. Slowly, the aura shifted to Usagi. The golden light blinded them.  
  
Then, Mamoru saw a vision. He saw Usagi standing with her back to him. Her Senshi fuku was ruined from burns. Then, she arched her back as they disappeared, and white angelic wings pushed from her back where the burns had been. He heard her soft, shocked gasp. She turned to him, smiling, and then faded away into the fog.  
  
************  
  
Usagi floated on rolling waves of darkness. She was content to stay there, but was wary of the white hole in the distance. She made effort to travel away from it, certain of where it led. And she wasn't prepared to go there. Not yet.  
  
Then, she saw a golden light, warm and soothing, akin to sunlight. She basked in its bliss for a moment, sighing.  
  
"He calls for me..." she whispered. And she answered.  
  
***********  
  
Mamoru misunderstood. He thought he'd seen Usagi turn into an angel and leave him forever. But when he opened his eyes, she sat on the bed, smiling down at him with bright peace painted in her eyes. She turned slowly for his benefit, giving everyone a good view of perfect, pink skin. She didn't even sport a scar. Slowly, magically, her fuku remade itself and covered her skin.  
  
Overcome with weakness and relief and love, Mamoru sighed, and wept into Sailor Moon's knees. She stroked his hair lovingly, then lifted him from his knees. His whole countenance changed in an instant. He sensed she was too weak to stand. So, with a huge grin, he swept her up into his arms, laughing out loud. She laughed as well, taking his neck into her hands and kissing him gently. Before pulling away, she whispered into his hair, "Arigatou, Mamo-chan. I knew you could take care of me."  
  
Mamoru smiled, fighting back the tears of joy. He motioned to the Senshi with his eyes. Immediately, all nine of them, including Chibi-Usa and the cats, leapt at the couple, tackling everyone back down to the bed. A weeping Rei got Usagi first. Usagi, grinning permanently, comforted her friend as Rei mumbled nonsense about the fire, the fire. Everyone celebrated the success of the Prince in healing the Princess, proving that with love, anything is possible.  
  
No one noticed the white feathers that fell from Usagi's hair and fuku as Mamoru twirled her around, laughing in sync with his beautiful, altruistic, beloved princess.  
  
******  
  
Well, what do you think of this one-shot? Give me feedback, ideas, compliments even! Be sensitive! I enjoyed writing this too. Gave me something to do before finishing up my other two SM epics! BTW, I want to start another one soon, so if you have any ideas, feel free to mention them in your review! I'm thinking a love triangle...anyway, we'll see what happens. Hope you enjoyed this story! Please review!  
  
-Moon Pie 


End file.
